July 23, 2007 – A 14,000-mile quest … on a PWC

Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) has announced the company’s support of a world-record attempt for distance on a personal watercraft. The company has given assistance to several record attempts in the past, but typically after a record contender was significantly under way on his voyage.
What makes this voyage different is that the man seeking the record, John Moffatt, has previously held the title. In 2000, Moffatt rode a PWC 5,604 miles in 80 days to claim the then-record title.
In the years that followed, Moffatt’s distance record has been surpassed twice. Teams from South Africa and Australia have pushed the mark farther, to the point the record distance now sits at 10,300 miles.
“Those other teams set a high bar,” Moffatt said. “I want to own the record outright and hopefully keep it for a very long time.”
Apparently, so does Sea-Doo, which has supplied Moffatt with a Sea-Doo GTX for the attempt.
“BRP and John Moffatt have at least one thing in common,” noted WaterTop Unlimited’s Tim McKercher. “Both simply want to be the best in the world.”
Torco Fuels has signed on as the other title sponsor of the attempt, which is being billed as the Torco/Sea-Doo World Record Chase. Torco is sponsoring the chase to promote the effectiveness of its Mach Series Accelerator fuel additive.
“John is an incredibly brave and determined man, and we are proud to support his efforts,” said Latrell Preston, vice president of Torco Fuels in Decatur, Mich. “Besides, how could we not get involved? Our Mach Series Accelerator is the perfect additive for his Sea Doo, and will enable him to get more power and fuel economy from every tank.”
This time around, Moffatt plans to up the stakes considerably, pushing the distance covered to beyond the 14,000-mile mark. He also plans to accomplish the feat solo, eschewing the ground support typical in such an attempt. The journey began June 8 in Miami. By early July, Moffatt was in Detroit, having covered 3,300 miles of his journey.
While the distance record is an obvious enticement, Moffatt also plans to once again bring attention to the relatively obscure Chrohn’s disease, an affliction his sister lives with daily. He encourages those inspired by the record chase to support the Chron’s and Colitis Foundation of America’s (www.ccfa.org) efforts to encourage early detection and find a cure.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the Torco/Sea Doo World Record Chase,” said Moffatt. “I know from previous experience what a rigorous and exciting journey this will be. It requires an incredible amount of physical and mental perseverance, but I feel I am up to the challenge. The Sea-Doo GTX watercraft is also performing flawlessly and getting great fuel economy. Everything is going great so far, and the media has been very receptive to bringing attention to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.”
Moffatt estimates the trip will take roughly 130-150 days to complete. His route will extend primarily along the East Coast’s Intracoastal Waterway, where he can take advantage of the many marinas for an opportunity to rest and refuel. For sleep, he enjoys resting on fellow boaters’ vessels.
When in remote areas, he simply pitches a tent at camps on the beach. The greatest challenge in terms of fuel is the Mississippi River, where fuel stops are few. Here, Moffatt simply ties his Sea-Doo to a tree on shore and hikes into town. “I use a road atlas to find towns and use bridges as my markers,” he said. “There are very few bridges that cross the major rivers of America, so it’s not hard to find my location once I spot one.”
Moffatt is the former associate producer of the ABC’ sitcom “Full House.” As he did before, he’ll be using his media savvy to garner attention at each stop along his route with an itinerary that was selected to hit 20 of the top 25 media markets in the United States.
Sea-Doo dealers, and PWC enthusiasts in general, are encouraged to track Moffatt’s progress at www.seadooworldrecord.com, where visitors can find the adventurer’s daily journal. BRP also plans to distribute weekly updates on Moffatt’s quest to regain his world record status. psb